FITHCBURG — Retired Fitchburg Police Chief and Marine Francis R. Roddy is remembered as a well-respected, fair chief and also an excellent shot.

Chief Roddy died at age 91 Saturday in Naples, Fla. His wife of 65 years, Jean, was at his side.

Fitchburg Lt. Kevin M. O'Brien — a self-described dinosaur on the force with 42 years under his belt and the most seniority — said Chief Roddy was the first chief he served under.

There are only a few left on Fitchburg's force who served with Chief Roddy, the 63-year-old said, including himself, Sgt. Glenn Fossa, Deputy Chief Philip J. Kearns and Lt. James Gilbert.

"He was a quiet, mild-mannered man," Lt. O'Brien said. "And he was a heck of a shot with a handgun."

He said that 40 years ago, departments had handgun teams and participated in competitions.

Chief Roddy competed on pistol teams with the Fitchburg Police Department, Air Force and FBI, winning many awards and trophies for marksmanship, Lt. O'Brien said.

"He shot competitively and traveled all over for pistol competitions," he said.

He said the former chief also worked tirelessly for years to get a new police station built, but retired just a few months before police moved from their 100-year-old building into the new one in March 1987.

"He worked hard for the new building, but he was never chief in it," he said. "He worked hard to get us a new place."

Chief Roddy was also easy to work with, he said, and was well-liked and respected.

"I got along great with him," he said. "He promoted me to sexual assault investigator early in my career. I was just a rookie."

Chief Roddy served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and in 1956 re-enlisted in the Air Force Reserve, where he served through 1982.

He was also one of the first police administrators to earn a college degree, Lt. O'Brien said, at a time when it was uncommon.

"He was a big advocate of character," Lt. O'Brien said. "He said character was a very important aspect of police work. I'll never forget when he said that to me."

Deputy Chief Kearns was hired as a patrolman on the night shift under Chief Roddy in 1980.

"Back in those days police officers getting college degrees was just coming into vogue — more didn't have them than did," Deputy Chief Kearns said.

Both men went to Northeastern University, he said, (chief Roddy years before him) when so few colleges had criminal justice programs.

Chief Roddy also attended the FBI National Academy--another accomplishment for law administrators, he said. Only 10 in the history of Fitchburg's department have gone through the FBI academy, he said, and only two are still on the force—himself and Sgt. Mark D. Jackson.

Chief Roddy also started his career during a time of transition, Deputy Chief Kearns said, when foot patrols were being replaced by cruisers and computers started supplementing police work.

"He was chief for 22 years — not a lot of people can pull that off," Deputy Chief Kearns said. "His son (retired Leominster Police Chief Peter F. Roddy) did it. I think he beat his father with 24 years. Tenure like that is unusual."

Peter Roddy worked under his father for 10 years on Fitchburg's force until taking the chief's post in Leominster in 1988. He retired July 15, 2012.

Fitchburg Mayor Lisa A. Wong said Chief Roddy served the city well for 40 years, joining the force in 1947 and becoming chief in 1965.

"Our community lost a public servant in Chief Roddy, but he left behind a long legacy," she said.

In 2001, Chief Francis Roddy and Jean moved to Florida with Jean to pursue their passion for golf.

He was a founding member of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Run for Jimmy, an annual fundraiser for the Dana Faber Cancer Institute.

While chief, he served on the board of directors of the International Chiefs of Police Association and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG.

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